Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Non-Fatal Intimate Partner Violence In Volusia County, Fl, 2016-2020, Fiona Chanlatte, Jonzelle Bell Bs, Julio Montanez Ma, Amy Donley Phd

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

The current white paper tabulates non-fatal intimate partner violence (IPV) offenses across Volusia County, FL by using Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data.

Non-Fatal Intimate Partner Violence In Osceola County, Fl, 2016-2020, Julio Montanez Ma, Jonzelle Bell Bs, Amy Donley Phd

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

In 2024, the University of Central Florida's Institute for Social and Behavioral Science developed a white paper summarizing Uniform Crime Reports data for Osceola County, FL from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The white paper tabulates intimate partner violence offenses by victim-offender relationship, offense severity, and offense type.

Member Share Grocery Program Survey Results: 2023, Caroline Austin Ma, Amy Donley Phd

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

The University of Central Florida’s Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences (ISBS) partnered with United Against Poverty to measure the impact of their Member Share Grocery Program (MSGP). Surveys with 651 MSGP members across the four locations were undertaken September-December 2023. The following report details the results of every question by location.

Demographic Profile Of Accidental Drug Overdoses In 2020, Jacquelyn Reiss Phd, Amy Donley Phd, Alexandria Mcclarty Ba

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

This white paper presents a demographic profile of accidental drug overdoses in Orange County, Florida for the year 2020.

Unintentional Fatal Overdose Analysis In Orange County, Fl Yearly Trends 2018-2022, Alexandria Mcclarty, Amy Donley Phd

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

This report aims to analyze yearly trends in unintentional fatal overdoses in Orange County, FL. Like many other parts of the country, the Central Florida area continues to suffer from a high number of overdose mortalities. As such, this report analyzes unintentional fatal overdoses across the years 2018-2022, focusing on the variables of sex, race, age, drug toxicology, victim residency information, and death location to draw conclusions on Orange County’s overdose climate and identify any changes over time. Additionally, we analyze quarterly trends within each calendar year, and estimate overdose rates in regard to county population by using publicly available …

Volusia County, Fl Mental Health And Substance Use Disorder Treatment Gap Analysis, Amy Donley Phd, Jacquelyn Fernandez-Reiss, Caroline Austin

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

The University of Central Florida's Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS) partnered with Volusia County to undertake a gap analysis focused on mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Specifically, we designed a study to determine the capacity of treatment options, identify barriers to seeking treatment, and illuminate what works particularly well. The gap analysis results can guide future decisions on allocating resources best to ensure that treatment is accessible to all in need.

Understanding School Shootings Using Qualitatively-Informed Natural Language Processing, Quan K. Do

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Prior literature has investigated the connection between school shootings and factors of familial trauma and mental health. Specifically, experiences related to parental suicide, physical or sexual abuse, neglect, marital violence, or severe bullying have been associated with a propensity for carrying out a mass shooting. Given prior research has shown common histories among school shooters, it follows that a person's violent tendencies can be revealed by their previous communications with others, thus aiding in predicting an individual's proclivity for school shootings. However, previous literature found no conclusions were drawn from online posts made by the shooters prior to the mass …

Christian Service Center: Needs Assessment Survey Results, Amy Donley Phd, John Weston

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

The Christian Service Center expressed a need for a needs assessment to be undertaken for the Ocoee campus. UCF’s Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS) develop a survey questionnaire (Appendix A) designed to increase the understanding of the client base being served in Ocoee in order for the Christian Service Center to better serve their clients.

Mediation And Moderation Analyses Investigating Marijuana Use Among Lgb Adults, Traccy Martins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

With marijuana use being at an all-time high, it is important to further analyze the factors associated with use. Utilizing the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N=205,083), the current study assesses marijuana use among LGB adults, as well as possible mediating (health-related measures) and moderating (criminal legal system exposure) factors. Findings using a chi-square analysis showed that overall, bisexual and lesbian/gay adults were more likely to use marijuana, while those who reported "not sure" were less likely to use. For the mediation analysis, when health measures were introduced to the logistic regression model, the outcome remained the …

Exploring The Response To Covid-19 In Puerto Rico, Richard Colon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

In recent years Puerto Rico has faced a series of unfavorable events including financial turmoil, massive population loss, earthquakes, and droughts. These events had significantly impacted its resources and capacity to confront a major public health crisis. As such, Puerto Rico was expected to poorly manage the ongoing pandemic. Despite this, nearly all data surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico has indicated the contrary. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the COVID-19 response in Puerto Rico. The Conservation of Resources theory guided the analysis of resource consumption and management of the Puerto Rican government and …

Mental Health Of Puerto Ricans Who Stayed In Puerto Rico Compared To Those Who Migrated To Florida After Hurricane Maria, Sophia Chapdelaine

Honors Undergraduate Theses

September 20th, 2017 was a devastating day for many Puerto Ricans as Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico. A majority of people were left without electricity, water, transportation, and communication between friends and family. In addition, many experienced losses such as destruction of their home and personal belongings as well as the death of family members and friends. This resulted in a decline in mental health. According to previous literature, key indicators of poor mental health in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria were increased diagnoses of depression, anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This study provides a comprehensive …

The Affects Of The Foot Conditions On The Homeless Population, Alexander Kaye

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The research is attempting to acknowledge and explain the impact, if any, on homeless individuals not wearing socks. The curiosity for this study started on December 25th, 2018 when my family and I were volunteering at a homeless shelter in South Florida. After having numerous conversations with homeless individuals, I was informed on how they do not have enough pairs of socks to keep their feet in a healthy condition. Thus, I decided to initiate a sock drive to improve the lives of those who are homeless. This study is looking at a series of articles that are reviewing the …

Children’S Home Society Evaluation: Brief Summary, Lauren Daniel, Jacquelyn Fernandez-Reiss, Amy Donley

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

The University of Central Florida’s Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS) was contracted by Children's Home Society of Florida (CHS) to perform an evaluation of therapy session case notes from CHS therapists.

Community Doulas' Impact On Women Of Color With Low Incomes, Emely Matos

Digital Repository: Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence

No abstract provided.

Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria: Responses To Trauma And Constructing A New Life In Central Florida, Angela Vergara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

On September 20th, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall on the island of Puerto Rico causing devastating results. An Island with a history of decades of economic recession, inadequate infrastructure, and a negative effect of a century of colonial rule by the United States, Hurricane Maria unquestionably intensified the catastrophic circumstances in Puerto Rico. (Cons 2017; Torres 2018; Gay et al 2019). The aftermath of Hurricane Maria left thousands homeless and without basic resources in the Island. The study examines the effects of disparate social factors on individual responses to trauma before, during, and after the disaster and illuminates the circumstances …

Food For Thought: Food Insecurity And Academic Performance, Justen Rosenberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Objective: In 2018, 11.1% of American households were food insecure at least once. Annual reports on food insecurity conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture study the prevalence of household food insecurity; however, they fail to conceptualize the consequences that are associated with being food insecure. The objective of this study is to analyze the impacts of food insecurity on academic performance of children currently enrolled in an Orange County, Florida, K-12 public school. Methods: One focus group and 10 one-on-one interviews were conducted with parents who have at least one child currently enrolled in a K-12 public school …

Factors Contributing To Low Adequate Prenatal Care Rates In Orange County, Florida, Lauren Daniel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2017, only 56% of births in Orange County, Florida, received adequate prenatal care - care that has been shown to prevent maternal and infant death. The Florida Department of Health uses the Kotelchuck Index to determine care adequacy. This index rates care adequacy based on when the mother first receives care, and how many recommended appointments she attends. Prenatal care is rated "inadequate" if it starts after the fourth month of pregnancy, and/or if less than half of the recommended appointments are attended. Receiving earlier and consistent prenatal care has been shown to be an effective way to improve …

After Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rican Migrants And Residential Segregation In The Orlando Msa, Gabriella Ospina

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to analyze the racial attitudes of residents in the Orlando MSA towards Puerto Rican migrants that have moved as a result of Hurricane Maria and analyze the effects these attitudes may have on racial residential segregation in Central Florida. As the state with the third largest population of Latinos, Florida's residential landscape continues to be uniquely formed by a diverse, and markedly Latino, population. Florida's location in relation to South American and Caribbean countries has made it an opportune destination for immigrants and refugees. Therefore, it came as no surprise that when Hurricane Maria …

The Influence Of Previous Traumatic Experiences On Haitian Child Refugees' Conceptualization Of Fear, Jessy Guler, Courtney Guler, Dr. Judit Szente

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

This study investigates how children's experiences as Haitian refugees influence the development of atypical childhood fears. Eighteen child refugees were interviewed about their personal primary fear objects and their interpretation of fear in a series of drawing and picture observation exercises. Five of these eighteen children were Haitian refugees. Each of the refugee children had one adult representative who was interviewed about the child, the family's demographic information, and the child's previous traumatic experiences in his/her native country. The refugee children and their adult representatives' responses to the interview questions were coded and analyzed according to themes. Results suggest that …

Are Florida's Children Safe? Evaluating Safety In District 7 Privatized Child Welfare Services, Antoinette Bazunu

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

In 1998, the Florida state legislature mandated the privatization of child welfare services. The decision to contract child welfare services to non-profit organizations was instituted in an effort to lower costs and to increase the effectiveness and quality in service delivery. The 1998 initiative came to be known as "Community-Based Care" and was based on the idea of giving local communities incentives to be more accountable for children.

The federal government requires that the safety of all children be the paramount goal for the child welfare system. The purpose of this study was to assess whether Community-Based Care was indeed …

Social Class Justifications: The Capitalist Conspiracy?, Wendi Kane

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The purpose of this research is to better understand the attitudes of University of Central Florida students concerning the stereotypes, myths, and ideologies related to social class inequality. This research measures gender, race, social class, and level of exposure to the lower class as key factors in students' beliefs. The data were collected through the use of self-administered surveys distributed to 1496 UCF students from a variety of different colleges on the Orlando campus. The most significant findings were in relation to the "work hard, get ahead" ideology, as well as the equal opportunity myth. This is a non-probability sample; …

The Effects Of College Student Employment On Academic Achievement, Lauren E. Watanabe

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

With college tuition and the cost of living rising, many students find themselves in the position of having to be employed while trying to attend classes. This study examines the effects that employment has on college students' academic achievement and other possible factors that might have contributed.

United Against Poverty: Social Return On Investment Step And Msgp: Executive Summary, Amy Donley

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Food Environment Around Elementary Schools In The U.S. With Gis Analysis, Kenisha Johnson, Maria Scott

Digital Repository: Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence

No abstract provided.